San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2018: Our guide to the big event

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Friday May 15, 2009. Booker T. Jones performs at the Left Coast Live festival on S. First St. in San Jose. Music-lovers watched bands on two big stages in the South of First Area, and scores of surrounding bars and restaurants hosted live music all evening. (Patrick Tehan/Mercury News)

INDIO, CA – APRIL 18: Musician Booker T. Jones of Booker T & the DBTs performs during day 1 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival held at the Empire Polo Club on April 18, 2009 in Indio, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Bay Area singer Paula West’s new show at Feinstein’s in San Francisco features creative covers of songs by Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Irving Berlin and more. (Josie Lepe/staff archives)

COURTESY OF PAULA WEST
Bay Area singer Paula West performs “Her Favorite Things” in a benefit concert March 25 in San Francisco.

Dennis D.T. Thomas, from left, George Brown, Robert Bell, and Ronald Bell of the musical group Kool & The Gang arrive at the 59th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION R&B singer Goapele opens an evening of intimate conversation and music at the launch of the national campaign, RISE Above sponsored by AIDS Healthcare Foundation and WORLD on Wednesday, March 8, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (Photo by Peter Barreras/Invision for AIDS Healthcare Foundation/AP Images)

Photograph by Dewey Nicks
Legendary trumpeter Herb Alpert and his wife, singer Lani Hall, will perform July 25 at the Jazz on the Plazz Gala that raises money for youth music camps and programs. It’s a cause they’ve trumpeted before through the Herb Alpert Foundation that’s donated millions of dollars to music education programs.

Photograph by Dewey Nicks
Herb Alpert

Vocalist Lani Hall, left, and trumpet player Herb Alpert perform at a gala
to support Los Gatos music and arts education on Tuesday, July 25, 2017, at
La Estancia in Los Gatos. (Sal Pizarro/Staff)

Here’s what you need to know if you’re planning on attending the festival.

Location: It takes place in downtown San Jose, with each of the 12 stages within walking distance of Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park.

When: Aug. 10-12; gates open at 6 p.m. Aug. 10, music starts at 10 a.m. Aug. 11-12. Outdoor stages typically open roughly one hour before the first scheduled performance. The indoor stages usually open 30 minutes before the first set.

Public transportation: VTA serves the area with both light rail and bus lines; viisit www.vta.org to plan your trip.

Caltrain could be another good option. The closet stop is the San Jose Diridon Station, which is roughly a mile way from the festival site. From the Diridon station, fans can walk, board VTA or use some other type of transportation (like rideshare). For more information, visit www.caltrain.com.

The Music

There are more than 100 performances scheduled for the 2018 festival. Here are some of the big-name acts and our top picks for the lineup:

Con Funk Shun: The legendary Vallejo funk-R&B-soul act will help get the party started on opening night, with a songbook that includes such hits as “Baby I’m Hooked (Right into Your Love),” “Shake and Dance with Me,” “Ffun,” “Chase Me” and “Got to Be Enough.” Details: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10; Sobrato Organization Main Stage.

Jane Monheit: The accomplished vocalist, who was just 20 when she created a big buzz in the jazz world after coming in second at the 1998 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition, is touring in support of the tribute album “The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald.” Details: 8 p.m. Aug. 10; Silicon Valley Community Foundation Hammer Theatre Stage

Lalah Hathaway: The outstanding R&B vocalist, who is the daughter of the late Donny Hathaway, has won several Grammy Awards. Most impressively, she is the first and only artist to win the best traditional R&B performance Grammy in three consecutive years (2015-17). Details: 9:30 p.m. Aug. 10; Sobrato

Booker T.‘s Stax Revue: Booker T. Jones, the legendary keyboardist best known for his work with the MG’s and the smash hit “Green Onions,” takes a musical trip back through his storied career and performs material from such celebrated acts as Otis Redding, Carla Thomas and Sam & Dave. Details: 4 p.m. Aug. 11; Sobrato

Goapele: The Oakland native, who now lives in Southern California, released the acclaimed debut “Closer” in 2001. The soul-R&B singer-songwriter returns to the Bay Area in support of her latest EP, “Dreamseeker.” Details: 6 p.m. Aug. 11; Sobrato

Lydia Pense & Cold Blood: Here’s the chance to catch one of the iconic Bay Area acts of the ’60s and ’70s, which made its debut at San Francisco’s Fillmore back in 1969. Apparently, the funky R&B/rock/blues band did pretty well at that gig, since the venue’s fabled promoter, Bill Graham, went on to sign Cold Blood to his San Francisco record label. Details: 7 p.m. Aug. 11; Blues/Big Easy Stage

Johnny Gill: The R&B crooner is known for such solo offerings as “My, My, My” and “Fairweather Friend.” Yet, perhaps Gill will also recall his New Edition days and offer up a blast from the past like “If It Isn’t Love.” Details: 8 p.m. Aug. 11; Sobrato

Rumbankete: The Los Angeles band is reportedly one of the few stateside exponents of timba, a style of music that is described by the festival’s Latin/world coordinator Betto Arcosas as a “coming together of funk, jazz, improvisation and traditional Cuban musical styles like Rumba.” Details: 8:30 p.m. Aug. 11; Salsa Stage

Paula West with the Adam Shulman Trio: West is a true Bay Area favorite, who charms and fascinates with a broad repertoire that ranges from the American Songbook to folk music standards. Her versatility is on full display on her latest album, “Live at Jazz Standard,” which features jazz numbers such as “My Romance” as well as Bob Dylan’s great “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” Details: 1 p.m. Aug. 12; Hammer Theatre Stage

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall: These two accomplished performers, who are married and have released several recordings together, will be accompanied by a three-piece rhythm section as they perform a careers-spanning set at the festival. And, yes, that just might mean fans will get to hear Hall revisit the theme to the 1983 James Bond film “Never Say Never Again” Details: 4 p.m. Aug. 12; Sobrato

Kool & the Gang: The legendary funk-soul combo closes out the festival’s main stage with a set that will surely be filled with such old-school anthems as “Ladies Night,” “Get Down on It,” “Too Hot” and “Fresh.” And the highlight will likely be “Celebration,” which is every Oakland A’s fan’s favorite song since it’s played each time the team wins at home. (And “Celebration” has been playing a lot this season in Oakland.) Details: 6 p.m. Aug. 12; Sobrato

Orquesta Son Mayor: The Los Angeles ensemble, which is led by vocalist-guitarist Eddie Ortiz, has been lighting up dance floors for decades with its classic salsa music. Over the years, the group has performed at such marquee venues as the Hollywood Bowl and with such acclaimed acts as Celia Cruz, Tito Puente and Chucho Valdes. Details: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 12; Salsa Stage